What If?
by Katia Earley
Summary: What if Pinocchio had decided to stay with Emma? Spoilers for 1x20.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey guys! So this is my first OUAT story, and I really hope you like it. The latest episode really got me wanting to read what would have happened if Pinocchio had stayed with Emma. Right now, this is a one-shot, which I hope to make longer. This plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone and wanted to be written as soon as possible. So if there are grammatical and other mistakes, I apologize. Please read and review! Even to tell me it sucks. **

He heard her crying before he even stepped into the room with her crib in it. That wasn't as weird as it may have sounded. He was sure that the enchanted tree gave created a deep bond between the two of them. Ever since he and Emma came through to the "real" world, Pinocchio had been able to easily decipher her emotions. When she was hungry, he knew. When she needed a diaper change, he he knew. Just by the slight noises and faces she would make, he would know exactly what she needed. And right now, Emma was upset because Pinocchio had left her alone.

"Hey, Emma. Don't cry," He said, placing the large, red tool box down near the blue steel crib. "Look at me. See?" Pinocchio started making funny faces, sticking his fingers into his mouth to spread it and poking his tongue out. He made lolling noises and crossed his eyes, hoping to stop Emma from being upset.

Thankfully, it worked. Emma stopped crying and glanced up at Pinocchio with bright, blue eyes. "There, that's better right?" He returned the look with a satisfied grin. He made a wave motion down to the floor for her benefit, and went to grab one of the tools from the tool box.

Just as he was getting one of them, a voice coldly called out, "Do those tools belong to you?"

Frightened by Mr. Ruskin's, the coordinator of the group home, appearance, Pinocchio jumped a bit. "I was just trying to fix the crib. I didn't want Emma to fall out and get hurt." He tried to explain, hoping that he wouldn't get into trouble this time.

The group home run by Mr. Ruskin was the only place that the social workers could place them together. After explaining to the cops that he had found Emma at the side of the road by himself, and that he was alone as well, the cops put out a missing person report for both of them. When no one came to claim them, law enforcement had no choice but to let social services take charge.

Knowing that they had to stay together, Pinocchio made up a story that didn't stray too far from the truth. He said that his father and he had been traveling alone, walking along the road, when they heard a baby cry. After finding Emma, his dad said that he would go and get help, and that he, Pinocchio, was to watch her until he came back. When his father didn't come back, he went to the cops. The social workers came up with the conclusion that his father abandoned the two of them, and left town. It made Pinocchio so mad when he overheard the conversation between one of the cops that he had found and one of the social workers about how certain people shouldn't be parents. Yet, he kept quiet.

Instead, Pinocchio tried to learn as much as possible about the strange, new world he and Emma were in, by observing the things around him. If anything could be said about Pinocchio, it was that he was a fast learner and adapter. That was why when the social workers mentioned how he was going to be separated from Emma, he did everything he could to make sure that didn't happen.

Unfortunately, that led them to Mr. Ruskin's group home. There were five other children living there before the two of them got there. They were all older than Pinocchio, so they took him and Emma under their wings. Pinocchio, or "August" as he was now to be called, had no idea how someone who made his house available for children could be so cold and cruel. The first time he got into trouble was when he accidentally broke a china plate. His father and he never could afford luxuries like fine plates, so he wasn't aware of how carefully they had to be dealt with. As soon as it fell to the ground and broke, Mr. Ruskin shot up from his seat at the table, stalked over to him, pulled Pinocchio out of the chair, and roughly pushed him towards the cupboard to get a broom to sweep up, all the while shouting at him. The other kids looked on with sympathy and pity, giving him a knowing glance. That night, when he saw the large handprint bruise on his arm.

"Don't you ever touch anything in this house again! Nothing belongs to you," Mr. Ruskin said cruelly, grabbing Pinocchio's arm so tightly that circulation was more than likely getting cut off.

Steeling himself, Pinocchio answered, "Yes, Mr. Ruskin."

Mr. Ruskin looked at him for second before pulling his hand away, grabbing the screwdriver that was in Pinocchio's hand and putting it back into the tool box. He shut the lid and closed the snatch with a definitive bang, picked it up and walked out.

Pinocchio followed his every step until had left the room. After Mr. Ruskin left, he got up from the floor and leaded against the crib. He looked sadly at Emma, who returned his gaze.

"Hey," Pinocchio turned his head away from Emma and saw one of the older kids walk into the room. "You okay?" He asked, nodding his head towards Pinocchio's now throbbing arm.

Pinocchio nodded his head after a slight delay. The boy looked relieved and started talking to him again. "Can you keep a secret?" He asked, voice low.

Again, Pinocchio nodded. The boy walked over towards him, and reached a hand into his pocket. When the boy's hand was out, it had a wad of cash tied together with a rubber band. "Wow," he exclaimed. "Where'd you get that?"

"Stole it from the sock drawer," He said. "It's enough to buy us all bus tickets out of here."

Pinocchio looked at the money and then back to the boy. "You're leaving? When?"

"Right now. You wanna come?"

_This is it! No more Mr. Ruskin, _he thought. A grin was spreading across his face when he realized that he had Emma to take care of. "I told my father that I would take care of Emma. Can she come? Please?" He begged the boy, hoping that the boy would understand.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. "We can't take care of a baby. You wanna stay here for the rest of your life, be my guest." The boy started making his way out the door.

Just as the boy was leaving, Pinocchio called out, "Wait!" The boy turned back to face him.

_What do I do? _He thought helpless and confused. Pinocchio knew he didn't want to stay here, but to leave Emma?

_"You must look after this child, in this new world. You must promise me that. Promise me. It is the only way we'll see each other again."_

Pinocchio turned back to the crib and then looked the the boy and the other kids waiting around. He ran a hand across Emma's forehead, and closed his eyes. He knew what he had to do. "Good luck. I wish you guys all the best."

The boy shook his head, but understood. "Thanks. But you better stay safe, Kiddo. If anything happens, run. You hear?"

"Yes, I got it." With those parting words, the other kids all sneaked away.

_I made a promise, _thought Pinocchio. _And I intend to keep it. I need to be good and true, the blue fairy said so. I hope you're proud of me, Father, wherever you are._

**Review please! Any feedback helps me! Also, I would love to hear your ideas about what could have happened to Emma, and how if Pinocchio stayed what would have happened. I already have some idea where I want to take this story if I expand on it and finish it, but hearing your ideas would be wonderful as well! Thank you! :**


	2. Chapter 2

_Thirteen years later…_

Pinocchio drudged up the stairs to get to his and Emma's apartment, a box of plain cheese pizza in his hands. It was a long day of work at the supermarket, and he was late in getting home. Knowing he wouldn't have the time or energy to make dinner, he stopped at the pizza place to get something for the two of them to eat.

Balancing the pizza box in one hand, he reached into his front pocket, pulled out the key, put it into the lock, and opened the door.

"Hey, Princess, I'm home," Pinocchio called out, slipping off his shoes and throwing the keys to his motorbike in a little ceramic bowl that Emma made in art when she was in the second grade. He started to make his way into the makeshift kitchen slash dinning room area and placed the box on the small table. "I'm sorry I'm so late. The supermarket was ridiculously packed today and I couldn't leave. But I come bearing gifts in the form of pizza, so come eat before it gets cold." He went to the cabinet to get two plates and two glasses, and then went to the refrigerator to get a can of coke.

It was funny, the amazing amount of things that were found in their world yet they did not have anything that tasted as wonderful as soda. If there was one thing Pinocchio would miss when they get back to their world, it would be this. He gave a little laugh when he remembered how relieved Emma looked when he informed her that hot chocolate with cinnamon was available back where they came from when she was five years old.

A sudden frown appeared on his face. It had been a while since Emma had been so open, asking questions about their home world. In fact, she hasn't been talking to him as often either. Pinocchio blamed it on the fact that their schedules never coincide with each other, what with Emma being in school and his coming home late from work. Also, now that Emma was a teenager, and a female one at that, he figured she would want some space.

Shaking his head from his inner thoughts, he grabbed two slices of pizza putting each of them on separate plates for the both of them. He opened the can of coke and was pouring it into the two glasses when he suddenly got the feeling that something wasn't quite right. Placing the can on the table, he made his way to Emma's room. "Princess, dinner. Come on before I eat it all." Pinocchio said, knocking on her door. "Princess, are you listening to me? Princess? Princess, I'm opening the door, you have been warned."

He opened the door and walked into the room. "Princess, I've been calling you for-" He suddenly stopped. There was no one in the room.

_Where could she have gone? She had to be home. Mrs. Jones called saying that she stopped by next door to say she came back from school. She can't have been kidnapped, or worse killed? _

Pinocchio was in a complete panic and he had no idea what to do. He couldn't call the police because they would have thought him unfit to take care of Emma and take her away from him. He could not let that happen at any cost. However, if worse comes to worse, he would have no choice but to call the police if she didn't come back. Unfortunately, that meant that he now would have to wait.

For one hour, Pinocchio paced back and forth, looking at the clock every so often to see the time. Every minute Emma wasn't back stretched longer and longer. His pacing and thoughts were interrupted when the front door slammed shut, breaking the tense silence that had occupied the small, one-roomed apartment.

Emma had stumbled in wearing clothes that were definitely inappropriate for a thirteen year old to wear; a short skirt, a tight, stomach showing top, and a leather jacket. All of these articles of clothing were permeated with the scent of cigarette smoke and alcohol.

Looking at the state she was in, Pinocchio could not believe this was the same girl he dropped of to school this morning. "Where were you?" He asked. "And why do you smell like smoke and booze?" He was getting more and more agitated as he took in Emma's careless expression.

"What's it to you?" She replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Pinocchio ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "You weren't home. I was worried something bad happened to you."

Emma scoffed. "Well, as you can see I'm just fine, all sunshine and rainbows." She said, sarcasm sprinkled heavily in her tone.

He bristled inwardly. It had been getting worse lately, Emma's sarcasm. At first it was just little throwaway comments whenever she was upset or particularly annoyed. However, it seemed to occur more often than not, and it really annoyed him. Pinocchio figured it was just part of her growing up and becoming a teenager, but it was still a pain to deal with. Especially when he knew she mostly used sarcasm as a defense mechanism, and wanted to start a fight. It was obvious in her drunk stupor that she was in an angry mood and wanted an outlet for it. Pinocchio would do a lot of things for her, but there was no way he would entertain her fancy when she was drunk and she shouldn't have been.

"Do you know how it felt to find out you were missing?" He asked in a leveled tone, trying really hard to contain his temper.

"Well, I'm sure it wasn't that big of deal. I was with friends. You always make such a big deal out of nothing." Emma said.

"A big deal out of nothing?" Pinocchio yelled, no longer being able to control his anger. "I'm your guardian, I should know where you are. Not to mention that you have been drinking and smoking, things you shouldn't even be doing at your age."

"Please," Emma said with a snort. "You may be my legal guardian, but that's because of an obligation due to a promise you made to your father. A father, who incidentally didn't give two shits about abandoning you just like my own parents."

Pinocchio felt a pain in his chest like he always did whenever Emma talked like this. It happened quite often when they were moving around foster family to foster family. She would always ask him why her parents had to leave her alone in such a horrible situation, and he would always tell her truth. The truth being that her parents loved her so much that they sent her away to another world where a bad curse cast by the evil witch wouldn't harm her. That he was there to protect her and watch over her because he promised his father that he would. It was a satisfying answer for her when she was younger. Now, though, is another story.

"They didn't abandon us, Princess, you know they-" Pinocchio tried to explain, but Emma cut him off.

"Oh my God, August! When will you quit it, huh? I am not a child anymore. We are not form a different world, you are not Pinocchio and I am not the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Our parents didn't care for us and left us when we needed them. That's the truth." Emma shouted.

"Princess-"

"My name is Emma, not Princess, Emma. Stop calling me Princess because I have had enough of your stupid bullshit stories. Who can believe fairytales exist when they have been treated horribly at every single foster home they've been in? What about when they don't get adopted no matter how good they were? Or how everything they ever owned up until they were eleven years old could fit in a small backpack?"

"Emma, I know things are bad right now, but I know things will get better." Pinocchio tried to give her hug, but she just brushed him off.

"Things are bad right now? God, August, do you know how it feels to be known as the girl with that weird guy as her guardian? People in school make fun of me and talk about me behind my back because instead of parents, I have you. You need to grow up, August, fairytales are not real. The sooner you realize that that better. Wishes usually come true in fairytales, right? Then tell me why every year on my birthday, on every eyelash that I pick off my face, every time the clock shows 1:11, on every single star in the whole sky, I wish for the same thing and it doesn't happen? This is the real world, August. You need to accept it." Emma yelled, tears of frustration slowly falling down her flushed cheeks.

"Emma, I know you don't believe me right now, but please trust me when I say that we really are special. We really do come from a different world," Pinocchio said, softly, trying to soothe Emma. Despite everything she said, he knew he had to lay down the law. She went out without telling anyone, dressed in inappropriate clothing, hung out with friends who are obviously not a good influence, and drank alcohol and smoked. "However, for the time being, we are stuck here. And until then, I am in charge. And I do not want you seeing those friends of yours, or those type of clothes on you again. You're thirteen, not twenty."

"I am no longer a child, you cannot dictate what I do or who I hang out with." Emma said, wiping furiously at her face to get rid of her tears.

"Actually I can, I'm responsible for you. I would hardly call myself a good guardian if I allow you to still hang out with those kids when I know they are influencing you to drink and do drugs. You are not handing out with them ever again. Is that understood?" Pinocchio said.

"What? That's not fair." Emma cried.

There were many times when Emma was younger when she would just have to ask him for something nicely and he would give it to her. He still would, and that was a problem. Maybe it was because of their bond, but he just could't ever say no to her. However, he knew it was time to be strong and not cave, because what she was wrong and he needed to look out for her. "Not fair? I'll tell you what's not fair. Being worried sick for an hour because I didn't know where you were, and not being able to call the police because I didn't want to give them a reason to take you away. You are grounded, Emma. I mean it, no more of this. You got it?" Pinocchio gave her a hard look, challenging her to say no.

Emma just returned his look with a glare, trying to get him to look away first. In the end, she was the one that backed down from the stare-off. "I hate you. Go to hell, I don't need you. I don't need anybody." With that, Emma turned on her heel and stomped off to her room, shutting her door with a loud bang.

Pinocchio winced at the slam. He just didn't know what to do. How was he to get Emma to break the curse if she didn't believe in it in the first place? Not for the first time did he think about how better things would have been if his father didn't lie, and Emma had her mother here to guide her. He felt his heart break knowing how much he had cost her; love, stability, proper guidance…. the list goes on.

He walked back into the kitchen and saw the pizza he had brought home had indeed become extremely cold. With a heavy sigh, he picked up the box and threw it away into the garbage along with the two slices on the plates. He dumped the coke from the glasses and washed the dishes. He was doing whatever he could to get his mind off of everything that was going on with him and Emma.

The sad thing is, Pinocchio could never really handle having Emma mad at him for long periods of time. Even when she was younger and she would get upset at him for small things, he would still do whatever he could to make her smile. For some strange reason, he needed her to be happy. It didn't matter what it took for him to get her there, he would do it.

With that in mind, he made some hot chocolate. He sprinkled cinnamon on the two cups, and carried it to Emma's room. "Prin- I mean Emma, I know you're really mad at me right now, but I got some hot chocolate with cinnamon. Think of it as a peace offering?"

He didn't quite make it to Emma's room before he spotted a white piece of paper on the ground in the hallway. Putting the cups on the floor, he picked up the paper and read what it said. As soon as he read through it, he turned incredibly pale and pulled oped Emma's door.

What little possessions she had were all gone. The window was wide open with the curtains moving gently with the cool, spring air.

"Oh my god." Pinocchio cried, covering his face with his hands. The paper that he picked up fell slowly to the ground as he sobbed.

_August-_

_I meant it, I don't need you or anyone else._

_I can live on my own if I have to._

_Hopefully you will come to your senses one day and give up the fairytale crap._

_Goodbye and have great life._

_-Emma_


End file.
